Forestry England's Delamere nursery upgrade includes seed extractory

Producing around four tonnes of tree seeds each year, the Cheshire site will replace the agency's existing seed extractory at Alice Holt Forest. 

Due to open in spring 2025, it will allow FE to process more seed, and from a greater variety of tree species located in 13 specially planted orchards and 39 seed stands spread across the nation’s forests. Douglas fir, western red cedar and Norway spruce will be amongst the focus species because they are expected to grow well and become more prominent as sources of high-quality timber in England’s future climate conditions.

Building of the new site is well underway (Image: Supplied)

Imam Sayyed, Forestry England head of plant and seed supply, said: “This investment marks an exciting next phase in developing our forest nursery and seed processing operations. It’s vital we that we continue to grow millions of resilient trees which will be well suited to the climate we expect in the decades ahead and these new facilities will help us meet that challenge head-on.

“The amount of tree seeds available to collect can dramatically fluctuate from year to year with peak years producing as much as four tonnes of tree seeds to store ready for processing and germinating. The new facility will give us the flexibility and storage we need to respond to each season’s supply of seeds." 

As well as processing seeds and growing trees for the nation’s forests, Forestry England also supplies other forestry organisations. In 2025, depending on the seed crops, it expects to supply around 450 kg of conifer seeds to the private sector as well as around 7.5 million trees for planting in the nation’s forests.

Building a secure supply of high-quality tree seed from diverse species over the years ahead will significantly improve availability for UK nurseries and reduce the amount of seed imported from overseas. This will benefit the UK forestry sector as a whole and plays a major part in boosting diversity in timber producing tree species.

The new seed extractory building will be equipped with the best available processing machinery alongside expanded areas for cold and dry seed storage that will enable several tonnes of seeds to be stored in the best conditions before germination and planting.

orestry England is spending around £14.5 million to upgrade its tree nursery near Delamere Forest (Image: Supplied)

As well as building the new seed extractory, Forestry England is creating a new miniplug growing facility at the nursery, which will more than double the capacity of the ‘standing out area’.

This is the protected area where tree seedlings continue to grow after they leave the glasshouse and become acclimatised to outdoor conditions.

This will complement the glasshouse which Forestry England opened in 2018 as its first major project to build resilience against changing weather patterns. This computer-controlled environment uses a combination of fans, shade screens and roof ventilation to regulate the temperature, humidity and light levels for the growing trees. Cell-grown trees can be planted all year round and so help in extending the planting season in the nation’s forests. Together, these tree nursery investments support Forestry England’s work growing, planting and caring for sustainable, wildlife-rich, productive forests across the country.

Lead contractor Willmott Dixon has begun construction on the Cheshire site and recently completed the facility’s timber frame which covers almost 2,000m2. Adopting best practice construction principles, the facility has been sustainably designed to achieve excellent levels of environmental performance and will be net zero carbon in operation.

Horticultural engineering company, Cambridge HOK who designed and built the nursery’s glasshouse are building the new miniplug growing system. This will include a production line and irrigation system within the existing glasshouse operation and a new building for equipment, packing and dispatching trees ready to be planted. The specialist equipment and machinery are being provided by Swedish company, BCC.

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Michael Poole-Sutherland, north west director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We are delighted to be working again with Forestry England in Cheshire and creating a truly sustainable seed processing and nursery facility.

"Just as with the Delamere Forest visitor centre we completed in 2020, our experts are prioritising sustainable materials and construction methods. The building will be net zero carbon in operation and built using cross laminated timber (CLT) frame, as a sustainable alternative to steel, concrete and masonry. It will also feature solar PV panels, triple glazing, sustainable drainage solution and benefit from our extensive EnergySynergy performance monitoring process to reduce costs." 

Elsewhere, Tesco and Forestry England have launched a new partnership which will see the retailer contribute towards restoring nature across a beautiful landscape in Neroche, Somerset. The partnership will aim to increase the diversity and abundance of wildlife across the area, which is made up of a mixture of woodland, pasture and heathland.

Tesco will support Forestry England to transform the landscape, helping it to become a sanctuary for wildlife to thrive and expand. Neroche and the wider Blackdown Hills region plays host to a number of Tesco’s beef, dairy and lamb farmers. It is hoped the partnership will provide valuable insight into how large-scale nature restoration can aid sustainable food production.